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Temperature Warming Rates (Per Decade)
Comparison of temperature increase rates between Europe and the global average.
Primary Sources
Europe named 'fastest-warming continent' in latest climate change report
From heatwaves to wildfires and shrinking ice cover, Europe is facing a ‘severe’ impact from climate change, UN body says.Nearly all of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025, a year that included record-high marine temperatures and wildfires from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, according to the World Meteorological Organization.The United Nations body released its findings on Wednesday in a joint report produced with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), painting a grim picture of climate change in the region.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4UN aid chief says situation in Somalia worsened by US war on Iranlist 2 of 4US Senate blocks bid to stop Trump using military against Cubalist 3 of 4Afghan students recount harrowing university strikelist 4 of 4White House hails ‘two kings’ as King Charles delivers pointed remarksend of list“Europe is the fastest-warming continent, and the impacts are already severe. Almost the whole region has seen above-average annual temperatures,” said Florian Pappenberger, director-general of the ECMWF, including drought conditions in May 2025.Hot and dry conditions across the region helped fuel wildfires last year that burned more than 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) of land – roughly the size of Cyprus – and about 70 percent of European rivers recorded below-average annual flows, the report said.Strong marine heatwaves were also observed across much of the continent, spiking in waters of the Atlantic Ocean near the United Kingdom, Ireland and Iceland and in several spots around the Mediterranean, according to a map shared with the report.A number of the most significant changes were seen in Europe’s coldest regions, as sub-Arctic Norway, Sweden and Finland recorded a 21-day heatwave – their worst on record – in July 2025.During that period, temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) and higher around the Arctic Circle, the report said.Snow cover across Europe also fell by nearly 30 percent to 1.32 million square kilometres (509,655 square miles) in March 2025, equivalent to a loss of territory spanning France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria combined, the report said.Glacier loss was recorded across Europe, with the second-largest loss on record observed in Iceland.“The [2025 report] paints a stark picture: The pace of climate change demands more urgent action,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at ECMWF.“With risi...
Europe is fastest-warming continent, report finds - RTÉ
Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, the European State of the Climate Report for 2025 has found. From the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle, its climate is shifting in ways that are no longer subtle, no longer gradual, and no longer distant. The consequences are cascading across Europe's environment, economy, and ecosystems. With hotter air, warmer seas, shrinking ice, drying soils, and stressed ecosystems, the warning signals are screaming from every part of the climate system. Europe has been warming at a rate of 0.56C per decade throughout the past 30 years. This is more than twice as fast as the global average, which is 0.27C per decade. The only part of the world warming faster than Europe is the Arctic, where the rate of warming is 0.75C per decade. With its rapid pace of warming, Europe is beginning to look like a testing ground for what accelerated climate change looks like in real time, and for how quickly societies can respond. This is the stark picture painted by the report, jointly published by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the World Meteorological Organisation today. The report confirms that at least 95% of Europe experienced above-average temperatures last year, with several northern countries recording their warmest - or second warmest - year on record. A three-week heatwave gripped sub-Arctic Fennoscandia, with temperatures exceeding the extraordinary level of 30C inside the Arctic Circle. Europe also experienced its second most severe heatwave on record, with impacts stretching from southern Europe deep into northern latitudes. The reason why Europe is the fastest-warming continent is complex but increasingly well understood. The report says it is due to a combination of shifts in atmospheric circulation, increased solar radiation, cleaner air allowing more sunlight to reach the surface, shrinking snow cover, and the geography of Europe, which includes some very cold regions close to the warming Arctic. All these factors together serve to amplify the rate of warming. Globally, 2025 was the third-warmest year on record Glaciers across every European region recorded a net loss of mass in 2025, with Iceland experiencing some of the most severe declines. Snow cover was 31% below average in March, and the end-of-season snow extent ranked among the lowest ever recorded. Meanwhile, the Greenland Ice Sheet lost 139 billion tonnes of ice, equivalent to one and a half times all the ice contained ...
Europe was the world's fastest-warming continent last year
Europe was the fastest-warming region of the world in 2025, the latest European State of the Climate report by the ECMWF and the WMO has found.
Europe Remains the Fastest Warming Continent in the World
Europe remains the fastest warming continent in the world, and the consequences of climate change are increasingly manifesting in the form of heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and rapid reductions in snow and ice cover.
